The invention concerns a leash assembly for reeling and unreeling a strap or leash to walk animals. The leash assembly includes a handle and a housing attached therewith in which the strap is arranged on a turnable roller device for being reeled or unreeled. The assembly also includes a brake key which can stop the roller device and thus restrict the strap to a desired length. Furthermore, the housing has an exit opening through which the strap can extend outside the housing.
Such a leash assembly is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,773. Such leash assemblies allow animals to be comfortably walked with a strap with an utmost degree of control. The strap unwinds from the roller device against the force of a spring and winds up automatically when released. Thus, the desired length of the strap can be freely chosen. The reeling or unwinding of the strap is stopped by the brake key. Leash assemblies of this kind comprise rope- or cord-like shaped leashes or ribbon-like shaped straps. The invention especially refers to ribbon-like shaped straps; however, use of the word “strap” herein does not imply any restriction at all to the type of strap.
There exists a risk that a strap folds upon itself and thus blocks the exit opening while being reeled or unreeled from or to the roller device. It is known from EP 0 526 859 A2 that this exit opening can be arch-shaped extending along a circular arc-section. But this arrangement cannot completely avoid the folding of the strap and the locking of the leash assembly.
It is an object of the invention to improve the above described leash assemblies such that the strap can easily be reeled or unreeled.